Vivian Vosburg of Polk County, Florida Arrested for Child Abuse

Vivian Vosburg of Polk County, Florida was arrested Friday after she allegedly beat two boys, news sources report. Vosburg, 30, was booked into the Polk County Jail on four counts of child neglect and two counts of child abuse with bodily harm. It is unclear whether she qualified for bail bond. The press did not specify an attorney for Vosburg.

Vosburg, sources say, is the stepmother of the eldest defendant accused of teasing 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick into killing herself. Guadalupe Shaw, 14, is being investigated for habitually bullying Sedwick, both in person and through electronic means. Police believe that the abuse by Shaw and other middle school girls caused Sedwick to end her life by jumping off of a silo at an abandoned concrete factory. Shaw was arrested soon after when she made a Facebook post reportedly saying, “‘Yes, [I know] I bullied Rebecca and she killed herself but [I don’t give a f***]” She is now in the state’s custody pending the outcome of the case, which has garnered international attention.

Reports did not specify a relationship between Vosburg and the two boys she allegedly struck. The boys’ ages likewise have not been released. Video footage reportedly shows Vosburg cursing and attacking the two boys, who appear to be fighting on a bed. In the video, it appears she is trying to break up a fight and pull the boys off the bed.

Vosburg reportedly said that was her intent, but admitted that she was likely at wrong for hitting the boys with her fist as a means to get them apart. Vosburg reportedly admitted to hitting one boy in the face and the other several times in the back. One boy apparently fell off of the bed during the scuffle. The children escaped injury, according to the press.

The video of the debacle was apparently uploaded to one of Vosburg’s children’s Facebook accounts in July. After watching the video, police arrested Vosburg. It is not clear whether she has commented publicly on the case.

Child abuse takes many forms. Earlier this month, Pembroke Pines resident Tomas Portuondo was apprehended after he was accused of sexually abusing an underage girl for three years, sources report. Portuondo, 25, was taken to the Broward County Main Jail on 11 counts of lewd and lascivious molestation on a child between 12 and 16 by a person over 18. He is being held in lieu of $30,000.
According to reports, Portuondo coaches an all-girl Broward County basketball team and is an insurance salesman. These allegations have not been tied to Portuondo’s coaching role. Portuondo is a family friend to the victim, reports say.

The molestation started in April 2010 when the victim was 11, sources allege. It continued over a period of three years, ending in March of this year. It is not clear what exactly Portuondo is accused of doing. The victim eventually told her mother what had been occurring. The mother then reported it to the police, sources say.